Big Water Film Festival - Bay Theater - Ashland - Wisconsin

NOVEMBER 3-6, 2021 - 2020 Festival Cancelled Due to COVID-19
Bay Theater, Ashland, Wisconsin
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2020 Schedule

We regret that COVID-19 has caused us to cancel the 13th Big Water Film Festival, which had been scheduled for November, 2019.  Please see more in "News" below.  You can still see our 2019 schedule here.  

Sponsorship

One reason we are not going ahead with the Film Festival this year is because of the economic difficulties caused in our community by the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are not actively seeking sponsors for the 2021 Festival at this time.  If you are able to help, we would definitely appreciate your financial support.  For more information on sponsorships, please click here.  Please see more in the "News" section, below.

Volunteer

We'd love to have you volunteer for the 2021 Festival.  To put your name on our volunteer list, please click here. We'll get in touch with you.  It's fun to volunteer at BWFF, and you get to see free films!  Please see more in "News," below.

Want to submit a film?

If you have submitted a film for 2020, or are planning to do so, please know that we are rolling over all film submissions to our 2021 Festival, so your film will be fully considered for showing then.  We are accepting films only through FilmFreeway.  Please go to our FilmFreeway listing by clicking here.  Our deadline for 2021 is July 15, 2021.  Our Film Freeway site has more information.  Also, please see more in "News," below.

News

COVID-19 Cancellation. BWFF 2020 is Cancelled. With regret, the Big Water Committee has decided that we will not be able to tell soon enough if we will be able to protect our patrons’, volunteers’, and filmmakers’ health adequately to allow us in good conscience to proceed with the 13th Big Water Film Festival. So, much like a hotel elevator, we are going to go right past 13 and look forward to 14– which will be held November 3-6, 2021.

All films that are submitted for 2020 will be rolled over for consideration for inclusion in the 2021 festival. The Committee will continue to screen films, and we invite filmmakers to continue to submit them.

Big Water has always been about community, and the last thing we want to do is endanger any part of our community, or seek the sponsorships that make the Festival possible at a time when so many of our community businesses are suffering economically.

We will so much miss our annual get-together.

Please stay safe and healthy! We look forward to gathering again in 2021.

 

2019 Awards:  The 12th Big Water Film Festival is in the books!  Thanks to everyone (filmmakers, volunteers, sponsors, and audience members) who made it happen.  Here are this year’s award winners:
Best Feature and Audience Favorite: Love Them First, Lindsey Seavert and Ben Garvin
Best Documentary: From Seed to Seed, Katharina Steiffenhofer
Best Short: Wanted:Strong Woman, Marilyn Cooke
Best Short-Short: Fairy Tail, Justin and Kristin Schaack
Loren Savitsky Young Filmmaker Award: , Ouroboros, Emma Keehan
Honorable Mention: Fraser Syndrome and Me, Kyle Anne Grendys
Congratulations!
Check out our new ticket sales page.  We’ve made purchasing tickets online very easy, and you can now purchase tickets online for all sites.
Special thanks to the Ashland Foundation for funding the purchase of a spotlight for our use at the Bay Theater.  Filmmakers will no longer have to answer questions in the dark!
The schedule is up!
Our 2019 Schedule is posted! Our film descriptions are also posted.
New venues!
Our Bayfield showings are moving from the Bayfield Carnegie Library to the more spacious environs of the Bayfield High School Library.  We hope this will give our audience more room to enjoy the films.  Thanks to Blair and the City Library for their support these past years, and thanks to the Bayfield School District for welcoming us to their campus.
And remember that as of last year we are having screenings again in Washburn, at the Harbor View Event Center.  Special thanks to our Washburn sponsors who are helping to make this happen:  Ron’s Repair and Towing, Washburn Family Dentistry, and Olson Building Supplies.

 

Follow us on Facebook to receive other updates.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Thank you to our Reception sponsors!  Ashland Baking Company, Benoit Cheese Haus, Chequamegon Food Coop, CoCo Artisan Breads and Good Eats, DaLou’s Bistro, Deep Water Grille , Hugo‘s Pizza, Maggie’s, North Coast Coffee, Pizza Pub, and The Snug.  

Thanks to our Festival sponsors for your support!

Director


Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce
1716 West Lake Shore Drive
Ashland WI 54806
715.682.2500
www.visitashland.com

Cinematographer


Wild Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited
604 Riverside Dr
Hurley, Wisconsin 54534
(715) 561-3098

Special Effects


Fiorio Wealth Advisors
317 West Main Street/ PO Box 844
Ashland, WI 54806
715-682-8439
www.fioriowealthadvisors.com

Special Effects


Choice Title LLC
320 West Main Street
Ashland, WI 54806
715.682.3333

Special Effects


Lange Creative Services
Catherine Lange
Ashland, Wisconsin
708.275.8868
www.langecomm.com

Director

SECURA/AIS Insurance Services
PO Box 498
Ashland, WI 54806
715-682-6197

Cinematographer


Stone's Throw
40 South 2nd Street
Bayfield, WI
715.779.5200
www.stonesthrowbayfield.com

Special Effects


Northern State Bank
321 Main Street West
Ashland, WI 54806
715.682.2772
www.nsbashland.com

Special Effects


Olson Building Materials
19 W Bayfield St
Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-2686

Director


Anonymous

Cinematographer


Anthony Jennings & Crew Real Estate
106 Main St W
Ashland WI 54806
715.209.6841
http://www.aijennings.com

Special Effects


BMO Harris Bank
100 Main Street East
Ashland WI 54806
715.682.3422
www.bmoharris.com

Special Effects


Associated Bank
221 4th Avenue West
Ashland WI 54806
715.682.9371
www.associatedbank.com

Special Effects


Solstice Outdoors
2521 West Lake Shore Drive
Ashland, Wisconsin 54806
715.682.3590
http://www.solsticeoutdoorstore.com

Cinematographer


Harbor View Event Center
130 Harbor View Dr
Washburn, WI 54891
715-373-5674
www.harborviewwashburn.com

Special Effects


Ron's Repair and Towing
77655 State Highway 13
Washburn, WI 54891
715.373.2030
 

Special Effects

Washburn Family Dentistry
16 E Bayfield St
Washburn, WI 54891
715-372-4860
http://www.washburndentistry.com

Special Effects

Haukaas Law Office
Superior Representation
200 Chapple Ave
Ashland, WI 54806
715-685-1001
http://www.haukaaslaw.com